RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is currently testing fermented milk made from goat's milk as an effort to prevent anemia and meet the nutritional needs of adolescent girls. This clinical trial, involving 60 adolescent girls aged 10-18, is taking place in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta.

This program is the result of an inter-institutional collaboration, including the livestock research center, the food technology research center, local doctors' organizations, community health centers, and village governments. This collaboration aims to provide scientifically evidence-based solutions to the nutritional problems still faced by adolescents in the area.

The product being tested is goat's milk yogurt made from organically fed livestock, produced in collaboration with halal-certified industrial partners. This drink is claimed to be rich in protein, probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and calcium, and is easily absorbed by the body.

Each 250 ml bottle is said to meet approximately 20% of the daily nutritional requirement for protein. This claim was made directly by the researchers involved in mid-July.

For eight weeks, participants will consume the fermented milk twice a week. Before the program began, all participants underwent height and weight measurements, mid-upper arm circumference measurements, and hemoglobin levels, as well as dietary interviews for comparative data.

The study area was chosen because it continues to struggle with high rates of stunting and anemia. In the local community health center (Puskesmas) area, stunting rates have reached around 20%, with hundreds of children in one sub-district experiencing these conditions, along with anemia.

In addition to nutrition, the program also highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiome as the foundation of the body's immune system. Approximately 70% of the human immune system resides in the digestive tract, so microbiome balance is considered a significant factor in maintaining immunity.

Through this clinical trial, the research team hopes to obtain scientific evidence on the effectiveness of fermented milk as an alternative nutritional intervention for adolescents. The research results are expected to support the development of functional foods and form the basis for government programs to prevent anemia and improve the quality of Indonesia's human resources in the future.